An adjoint sensitivity analysis of the Telegrapher's neutron kinetic equations

The work presented herein is an approach to the kinetic uncertainty analysis of the Telegrapher's neutron kinetic equations. The adjoint sensitivity analysis framework has been resorted to meet this end. Burnup induced uncertainty in the value of the delayed neutron fraction is addressed and its impact on the neutron population (as an observable quantity by the way of flux detectors) is investigated. Results compared against those obtained through an exact forward analysis approach confirm quite satisfactory accuracy of the proposed variational method. The effect of relaxation time on the adjoint system dynamics is moreover explored.